TONY Blair put on a united front with Gordon Brown yesterday as he began his last election campaign before stepping down as Prime Minister.

He admitted that after 10 years in office, this could be his toughest battle yet to rally voters - but added: "We are a party which has achieved so much and has even more to do."

The PM and his Chancellor visited Nottingham and Scotland to canvass support for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and local elections on May 3.

Striding into the room together, they stood shoulder to shoulder as they said it was time to concentrate on attacking the Tories and not on internal divisions.

And they came out fighting over the row on Mr Brown's decision to scrap tax relief on pension funds.

Asked whether he expected a "battering" in the elections, Mr Blair said: "It will always be a battle when you are 10 years in.

"It is far more difficult when you are midway through a third term. But if people step back and look at our record and what we can do for the future, we will be fine.

"What the public want to know is that we have the determination, the policies and the ambitions to keep improving their lives."

Paying a glowing tribute to the Chancellor, he went on: "The basis of our achievements is this guy's handling of the economy."

Critics have accused Mr Brown of sparking the crisis in company pension funds by abolishing tax relief.

But the Chancellor robustly defended it as "the right decision".

Both he and Mr Blair insisted the #5billion raised by the move allowed other business taxes to be cut, bringing huge amounts of investment into the country. Mr Brown said: "That is the reason why investment has risen 50 per cent in this country over the last 10 years.

"It is one of the reasons why personal wealth is up 60 per cent."

He said pensions had suffered because of the 2000 stock market crash which wiped #250billion off share prices.

The Chancellor added: "I believe it was the right decision to make. I believe it was the right decision for investment. It was the right decision for the future of the economy.

"It was my decision. I take full responsibility for the decision. It was a decision that I made after listening to different people and taking advice from different people in the Treasury.

"If I were making the same decision again this would be the right decision for Britain."

Mr Blair went on: "The most important thing - and I want to say this very strongly - is to remember Gordon Brown's record over 10 years has been without parallel in the Western world: strong economic growth, rising employment, falling unemployment and rising living standards.

"This is only done by taking difficult decisions."

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor hope their joint appearance will re-create the magic they found in the 2005 general election when their double act defeated Tory hopes of a comeback.

But there was concern yesterday at the lack of excitement and crowds at the launch.

Polls have shown Labour heading for their worst local election results for 30 years and could lose power in both Scotland and Wales.

BLAIR ON THE LOCAL ELECTIONS

'It will always be a battle when you are 10 years in. It is far more difficult when you are midway through a third term. But if people step back and look at our record and what we can do for the future, we will be fine'

BROWN ON THE PENSIONS CRISIS

'I believe it was the right decision to make. It was the right decision for investment. It was the right decision for the future of the economy. If I were making the same decision again this would be the right decision for Britain'